


Knives are for Killing

by kittyroseX



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, M/M, set during s2 i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 03:48:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13091778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittyroseX/pseuds/kittyroseX
Summary: Keith accidentally kills an innocent alien during a mission. Thankfully, Lance is there to comfort him





	Knives are for Killing

**Author's Note:**

> Finished this at 4am lmao yeet  
> Also, as a warning, there is one swear word and a slightly graphic description of death  
> Enjoy!

“On your right, Keith!”

Keith ducked under the incoming fist and swung his bayard, sword slicing through the Galra like butter.

“Thanks, Lance,” Keith replied, tossing Lance a grateful look over his shoulder. The Blue Paladin grinned in response, and Keith watched in admiration as his boyfriend took out three Galra soldiers with his rifle.

The team were liberating a planet that had fallen into the clutches of the Galra. They had received a distress signal a few vargas prior, and promptly came to their aid. The plan was simple: defeat the Galra, and free the prisoners. The paladins were steadily picking their way through the soldiers in the main courtyard, while Allura and Coran provided support from the castleship.

Keith made quick work of the enemy in front of him, moving over to Shiro to back him up against his opponents. The group of soldiers were dispatched quickly - they didn’t stand a chance against the pair of well-versed fighters. “Thanks for the backup, Keith,” Shiro called, smiling at him.

“No problem,” Keith responded. He watched Hunk clear out the last of the soldiers in the area, his energy cannon firing blasts of energy that pelted down on the Galra like hellfire.

“Good work, team!” Shiro called out to the other paladins. “Pidge, Hunk and I will work on locating and freeing the prisoners. Keith, Lance, can you sweep the rest of the town to make sure there aren’t any more Galra? I’m sure we got them all, but I’d like to make sure.”

“Sure thing, Shiro. Keith, I’ll search the west area if you want to take the east side?” Lance directed at Keith.

“Sounds good. Be careful,” Keith answered, eyes locking with his boyfriend’s in an intense stare.

“Of course, babe. You too,” Lance said casually, one corner of his mouth tilting upwards in a tender smile. Keith nodded and returned the grin, his eyes turning soft.

Keith watched Lance turn and head off in the other direction, blue bayard firmly grasped in his hand. Keith turned and began walking towards the east side of the small settlement. He kept his sword activated, stealthily moving from building to building. He was on high alert lest he find any soldiers to dispatch. As Keith soon discovered, searching through the dwellings proved redundant. They were all deserted, and no sign of life was evident in the small houses.

He exited one of the houses and walked towards the only building he had yet to check, similar to a hut in appearance. Upon closer inspection, Keith spotted a small crater in the ground adjacent to the house, its diameter around three feet in length. A large, soot-coloured rock had fallen into the hole, the top of it visible above the ground. The grass and shrubbery surrounding the hole had been uprooted, the lush vegetation falling around and on top of the rock.

Keith’s curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to inspect the hole. What had happened here? He crept closer, sword in hand, and got to his knees once he reached the edge of the pit. Peering in, he estimated that the hole couldn’t have been more than two feet in depth. Small pebbles, stones and chunks of earth lay at the bottom. The large rock had fallen all the way in, and as Keith leaned in closer, he could see a small, olive-coloured object tucked underneath it. ‘What is that?’ he thought. ‘Probably just a leaf.’ To reassure himself, he swung his legs down into the space next to where the rock had fallen in. Now that he was in the pit, he had a better view of the green object.

It was a small, olive-skinned hand with four digits, its stubby fingernails slightly darker in colour. The hand was face-down, palm pressed to the ground. Keith shouted in anguish, body jerking backward. He had yet to see any of the aliens that inhabited the planet, but if he had to guess, he would say that one of them was trapped under here.

“Hello? Can you hear me?” his voice trembled as he struggled to maintain his composure, and he crept closer tentatively. He inwardly cursed the Galra - they were the ones responsible for this.

A pause followed, and then a feeble voice wheezed out, “Help me…please.” Keith heard a weak set of coughs.

“Oh…oh my god, it’s alright, I’m here to help. I’m gonna get you out of there,” Keith’s wavering voice called out, his body leaping into action. Hands shaking, he attempted to lift up the huge rock, to no avail. Refusing to let his panic take over him, he steeled himself and pulled out his bayard. He spoke to the alien again, “I’m going to try to wedge my sword under the rock, okay? I can try and lift it enough to get you out. Are you able to move?”

“I…I think so. I don’t think any bones are broken,” the creature replied, voice high-pitched and soft. Keith let out a sigh of relief. Bending his knees, he carefully slid his sword under the rock, taking care not to harm the alien underneath. He brought his hand up so that the sword rested at an angle. The rock shifted up by about half a foot, Keith’s muscles straining slightly under the weight. He bent down lower so that he could hear the alien more easily.

“Alright, try to slide your body towards me,” he instructed, watching the alien’s green antennae start to appear, one by one. A wobbly, spindling arm came into view. As Keith bent over further, the Blade of Marmora knife he kept tucked into his pocket slipped out and landed on the ground, next to his foot. The alien’s wriggling and writhing came to a sudden halt, round, dark eyes zeroing in on the BoM insignia. His small body froze.

“You… you’re Galra,” the small creature hissed, spitting out the last word. His eyes narrowed to slits, tiny teeth bared at the paladin.

Keith was taken aback by the sudden outburst, the alien giving off an aura of hostility that made him want to withdraw into himself. His shoulders sagged in dejection. “Please, I just want to help you. Let me help,” he said in a small voice. His knees shook, and he was uncertain whether it was due to the alien’s harsh tone or the weight of the rock he was holding up. He guessed it was a combination of both.

“NO, get away from me. This is a trick… isn’t it? You may not look like a Galra, but I won’t fall for your flimsy disguise. You’re going to lock me up, just like you did to my family!” the alien yelled, angry eyes glaring at Keith.

“No, no, I’m not going to lock you up, I’m going to free you! Your people are being set free as we speak,” Keith responded, eyes beginning to well up with tears. His arms had started to burn with the strain of holding the small boulder up for so long.

“Go away, you lying, Galra scum. I’d sooner die than be helped by someone with such vile, tainted blood,” spat the alien. Without warning, a brown, scaly tail shot out from under the rock, its thickness about the same as Keith’s leg. It swiped at the boy, once, twice, a third time, painfully colliding with his skinny frame. With a yell of surprise, Keith instinctively shot backwards. To his horror, his hand was still connected to the sword keeping the rock suspended in the air. The sword slid out from under the rock with a metallic scraping noise. The sound of the alien’s bones being crushed under the weight, followed by his garbled shriek, would likely haunt Keith’s dreams for the next month.

The paladin deactivated his bayard and fell to his knees. Big, fat tears spilled from his eyes, blurring his vision. They dripped onto the earth beneath him. “I’m sorry,” he said aloud, voice wobbly. “I’m so sorry.” He murdered an innocent creature. He was no better than the Galra he fought so valiantly against. Shoving down his feelings of self-hatred, he sniffled and shakily brought his palms up to his eyes, wiping his tears away. With a trembling exhale, he collected his Blade of Marmora knife off the ground and rose to his feet. ‘I need to get back to the others. They’ll start to wonder where I am,’ he thought. Giving the rock one last glance, eyes overflowing with guilt, Keith clambered out of the hole in the ground and hastily ran back to meet up with the others.

As he approached the courtyard, dead bodies littering the ground, he followed the voices of his team-mates. He reached an area enclosed by metal prison bars, watching the other paladins direct the freed aliens out of the small cells and guide them towards the castle. Shiro was the first to spot him. “Keith! Did you run into any trouble?” he queried, walking over to him.

Keith looked up into Shiro’s soft eyes, his face the epitome of friendliness, and immediately looked away, eyes focusing on the wall next to them. He didn’t deserve Shiro’s kindness. ‘Murderer,’ he internally spat at himself. “No, there were no Galra in the area,” he replied.

“Good,” Shiro answered, giving Keith a once-over before stepping away. “We’re directing all of the citizens to the castle. I contacted Allura and Coran; they’re already inside with the King. We’re about to head on over.” Keith nodded in response. As Shiro walked back to the cells, Lance gestured Keith over with his hand, legs already moving to meet his boyfriend halfway.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Lance called out, encircling an arm around Keith’s upper back. He felt the Cuban boy press a gentle kiss to the top of his head, and he let the air in his lungs escape him in a shaky sigh. Pulling back, but leaving his arm in place, Lance gave him a look of concern. “You alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Keith said in reply. Grazing his palm along Lance’s cheek in a light caress, he asked, “Did you run into any soldiers?”

“Nah, I think we must’ve got ‘em all the first time around,” Lance replied. His eyes slipped closed, face transforming into a carefree grin. Keith took a moment to quietly marvel at his beauty before brushing a lock of chocolate-coloured hair behind his ear.

“Seems like it. I didn’t see anyone either,” Keith mused, which was technically a lie. He had seen that alien before he let him get crushed-

“I’m glad,” Lance interrupted his thoughts, lips softly pecking his cheek. The whirlwind of negative thoughts in Keith’s mind ceased for a moment. He took a second to admire his boyfriend’s astonishing ability to calm him, no matter what the situation was.

Feelings of dejection abated slightly, Keith withdrew from Lance and tugged on his hand. “Come on, we should head to the castle with the others. The King is probably waiting for us,” he spoke, leading Lance towards the large and imposing castle at the heart of the town.

“Alright! He’s gonna be so happy with us for saving his people. He should knight us, or something. Or make us princes. And princess, in Pidge’s case. Prince Keith and Prince Lance. How awesome would that be? I’m totally gonna ask if he can make this happen,” Lance chattered as he and Keith followed after the other paladins, hand-in-hand. Keith laughed softly as he listened to his goofy lover, nodding in agreement.

The five paladins walked up the polished granite stairs, and waited outside the towering castle doors. Hunk rapped his knuckles on the doors twice, and they swung open. Stepping inside, Keith and Lance let go of each other’s hands. They both knew it was better to keep things as professional as possible when engaging in diplomatic matters.

A large green creature sat on a wooden throne at the other side of the room. “Paladins of Voltron, please come forth,” he instructed. The five of them strode forward, and Keith acknowledged the presence of several green aliens scattered around the edges of the room. Their round eyes shone with admiration as they watched the paladins intently. Allura and Coran, previously standing in front of the King, moved to the left as the paladins reached the throne. The King spoke again, “Brave warriors, you are our saviours. We thank you for answering our call for help, for ridding our planet of the evil Galra, and for setting us free from our confines.” At the King’s words, Keith’s thoughts drifted back to the alien he had murdered under the rock. Guilt coursed through his body, eyes shifting downward. He was no saviour.

“It was our pleasure, Your Highness,” Shiro replied, head bowed. “Please don’t hesitate to contact us again should you encounter any threats in the future.”

“Thank you, courageous paladins. We would like to show you our gratitude by hosting a celebratory feast in your honour. Kindly follow my servants,” the King spoke, a small grin on his round face. He gestured to four small aliens standing to his right. Each of them bowed, and then turned to walk into the huge dining room next door. The team followed suit.

Entering the room, Keith thought it looked more like a ballroom than a dining room. A banquet had been laid out on a long table, placed at one end of the room. It was big enough for about twelve people to sit at, and various meats, vegetables and beverages had been set out. Oddly enough, Keith could not see any cutlery. Interesting. Behind him, he heard the sounds of hundreds of aliens entering the dining room. There was enough space next to the dining table that the aliens could comfortably fit inside without the room feeling claustrophobic. Music began to play from the speakers in the corners of the room, and Keith watched as the cheery aliens began to eat, sing and dance.

“Woah, how did they get all this food here so fast? We only saved them half a varga ago!” Lance exclaimed from beside him.

“I don’t know, but I’m definitely not complaining,” Hunk said, his mouth watering. Keith was pretty sure he saw some drool roll down his chin.

While his team-mates eagerly rushed to sit down, Keith’s appetite had diminished. He couldn’t get the alien from the hole out of his thoughts. The guilt was steadily eating him up from the inside. A female alien came over to the end of the table and said, “Brave heroes, thank you for saving all of us. We would still be in those prison cells if it weren’t for you.” She bowed her head and ambled away. Some hero Keith was. He couldn’t even get an alien out from under a rock.

The creature had been so hostile towards him. It was because of his heritage; he knew that. He was so disgusted by the thought of a Galra helping him that he chose to die instead. Were all of the aliens here like that? Keith knew that the Galra were despised by almost everyone in the universe, but the creature had shown such a strong hatred towards him. Keith supposed he would be, too, if the Galra came and took over his home planet.

Midway into the feast, the paladins chowing down on the delicious food, a distraught-looking alien burst through the door. They all paused, and turned to gaze at her. “Please! Has anyone seen my husband? I haven’t seen him for the last two cycles; I’ve looked everywhere!” She scurried from group to group, asking the citizens if they’d seen him. Keith heard a concerned murmur go through the crowds as his heart dropped to his stomach. Surely the creature under the rock wasn’t the same one this alien was looking for… right? This was just a crazy coincidence!

“I haven’t seen him…” Keith heard from a corner of the room.

“Have you searched your hut yet? Come on, I’ll come with you to look,” came from another corner.

“Yes, I’ve searched it!” the distressed female replied, voice shrill and squeaky. She gasped abruptly. “Wait… he used to dig holes outside the house, before the Galra attack. He did it to flush out the beetles and worms. Maybe he hid himself in one of them when the Galra arrived! Oh, my clever husband!” she speculated. Beaming, she leaped up with excitement, and left the room as swiftly as she came in.

Keith suddenly found it hard to breathe. His whole frame shook as he began to hyperventilate. He needed to get out of here before the others noticed. Clutching at his hair with both hands, he stood, kicking the chair out behind him. He half-ran out the door, ignoring the others’ questions and comments. He raced out the castle doors and down the stairs, heart pounding painfully in his chest. He spotted a bench hidden behind a small fountain to the left, and ran over to it. He practically threw himself down and the tears poured out of him. Noisy, hysterical sobs left his mouth, and he drew his legs up towards his chest. He wrapped his arms around them and pressed his forehead to his knees.

He sat there for a long time, rocking back and forth, wallowing in his own self-hatred. The tears didn’t stop falling, not even when he sensed a presence on the bench beside him.

“Keith, sweetheart?” he heard. He sniffled loudly, and turned to his right. Lance was there, hands resting on the bench between them. Keith practically threw himself at his boyfriend, sobs growing louder. He felt Lance securely wrap both arms around him, shifting them so that Keith was sitting across his thighs, head tucked under Lance’s chin. Keith heard him quietly shushing him. He felt embarrassed acting like this in front of Lance, but he couldn’t stop the tears from falling. He knew that this is what he needed right now.

“Baby, does this have anything to do with that alien that just ran in, asking about her husband?” Lance asked softly. Keith flinched, and he knew Lance noticed, for he quickly added, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. We can just sit here if you want.”

“No… no, I’ll tell you,” Keith mumbled, swallowing a few times to clear his throat. Blinking his tears away, he locked eyes with Lance’s affectionate gaze. His brows were knitted in concern. Keith slowly spoke, “When we both went off to check for Galra, I couldn’t find any. Then I found this rock in a hole in the ground, and there was an alien trapped underneath. I tried to help him, I wanted to help him so bad, but…” He couldn’t finish his sentence, a new round of tears starting. His throat tightened and he made a strangled noise, followed by a gasp.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Take deep breaths, with me, alright? In…” Lance inhaled deeply, and Keith followed suit. “Out,” the word came out breathy as Lance exhaled, Keith copying him. They did this twice more before Keith regained his composure - however little he had to start off with.

“I tried to get him out by lifting the rock off of him, but my Blade of Marmora knife fell onto the ground. He… he must’ve recognised the insignia because he certainly knew I was Galra after that,” Keith spoke, sitting up and reaching for his knife. He twirled and rotated it in his hands for a moment, eyes trained on the glistening blade, before Lance’s bony hands covered his. He softly pried the knife from Keith’s grip, setting it down next to them on the bench. They gently intertwined their fingers, resting their hands in Keith’s lap.

“What happened after?” Lance asked. His thumb started to rub slow circles on Keith’s hand. It gave Keith a warm, fluttery feeling deep in his stomach.

“Once he saw the knife, his whole demeanour changed. He got so angry… there was so much hatred in his eyes. And it was directed towards me,” Keith said morosely. Tears welled up in his eyes again, and he did his best to keep them at bay. ‘No use crying over spilled milk,’ he thought bitterly. “He was convinced that I was tricking him, that I wanted to lock him up with his family,” he continued. “Then he pushed me back with his tail, and I… I dropped the rock on him.” Keith leaned his forehead against his boyfriend’s shoulder, a few tears spilling down his cheeks.

“Oh, Keith,” Lance said sympathetically, fingers reaching up to run through Keith’s hair. The touch was soothing, sending shivers down Keith’s spine. Lance knew he loved it when he played with his hair.

“He also said that my blood was… tainted, and vile,” he spoke, head lifting off Lance’s shoulder. They locked eyes. “Am I… am I a monster, Lance? Because of my bloodline?”

Lance’s eyes filled with pity, and he shook his head, saying, “No, of course not. That crap about your blood being vile is wrong, okay? You can’t choose your bloodline, or your parents. Your mother was Galra; so what? That doesn’t mean you’re genetically predisposed to become a tyrant. The actions of one group of crazies do not represent the thoughts and actions of the entire Galra population. There are good Galra out there; we’ve seen it. And you’re one of them. You… you are the sweetest man I know. You’re so kind-hearted. You want to save everybody, but sometimes not everyone can be saved. What happened today was not your fault, in any way. You did your best to help, and that’s all you could do in that situation. Try not to beat yourself up over it. It was truly an accident, so please don’t be hard on yourself. Do it for me, your loving, amazing, sharpshooter boyfriend. Alright?”

Keith’s tears stopped coming halfway through Lance’s speech. He cracked a smile at the last part, eyes full of amusement. “Okay. Thank you, Lance. I love you,” he spoke. They briefly gazed into each other’s eyes, and their lips met in a soft kiss. Keith moved his hand to gently cradle the back of Lance’s head, tilting his own head to the side in order to slot their mouths together more comfortably. Lance’s hands came up to rest on his shoulders.

Lance pulled away first, staring into Keith’s eyes. “I love you too, beautiful. Do you want to go back inside now? I noticed you hardly touched your food; you must be hungry,” he said.

Lance may have been a goofball on the outside, but he was always so kind and considerate when it came to Keith’s well-being. If the situation called for it, Lance was an amazing source of comfort. He was a good listener, and an equally-as-good shoulder to cry on. They were a couple of the many things Keith loved about him.

“Yeah, let’s go back inside,” he answered. They stood, Keith sliding his knife back into his pocket, and their fingers intertwined as they strolled back to the castle.

“Hey, maybe I can ask the King if he can actually make us princes. Imagine that, being the prince of an entire planet! It’d be awesome,” Lance laughed.

Keith’s laughs mixed in with Lance’s. “Yeah, maybe it would be,” he replied. Truthfully, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of being a royal. He knew the King would never agree to such a wild request, anyway. But Keith knew he would follow Lance to the corners of the universe if he asked. He was happy to do anything as long as he had this boy by his side.


End file.
